Different
by Quicksilver19
Summary: Whitney's life has changed since he graduated high school... Chlitney.
1. Beginnings

****

Different

Note: between the "¥ ¥ ¥ " 's means a flashback. 

Note 2: my computer's messed up so that's why it's all smuched together… I hate technology… : )

Whitney sighed and put his arms behind his head. Four-thirty. Still two hours and a half before he had to get up and go to work. 

His wife rolled over in her sleep and draped herself across his chest, murmuring softly. 

He smiled to himself. Before, when thinking about marriage, one person always came to mind first. Chestnut brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, small lithe figure. Lana Lang. The picture of perfection. They'd gone out for so long before the decision. Before she realized that she was in love with the one guy that Whitney had been so afraid for so long that she was going to leave him for. Clark Kent. Even thinking about him made Whitney tense, even now. 

In addition, the Lana-Clark thing couldn't have happened at a worse time. His father had finally given up the fight against cancer the summer after senior year. He'd gone to Lana's, almost crying because it was okay to cry in front of her. Instead, he found them making out in her aunt's barn. So he ran. He ran until his breath came in ragged gasps, ran until his legs collapsed underneath him, ran until he couldn't. And then he'd cried. Sobbing like a child. Dry racking sobs, coughing, tears… but it didn't matter because no one was out there… or so he thought. Lex Luthor found him, asleep and exhausted from running, from crying, from the past week while his father fought to his last breath. 

¥ ¥ ¥ 

He woke in a big bed in crisp clean sheets. "What the hell…?" 

"Good morning. I trust you slept well…" Lex said, getting up from a chair beside the bed. "You were pretty battered last night. You okay?" 

Whitney sat up. "Lex Luthor… what? Why?…" 

The older man's forehead wrinkled, as if trying to remember something. "I don't really know…" he said finally. "I suppose I would have to say pity. I found you curled up in a ball, dried tears on your cheeks. I didn't realize why until this morning when Clark called, asking if you were here, and I saw on the news about your father. I'm sorry, Whitney," he finished, rather lamely. 

Whitney reddened and looked away, out the window. "Clark always was the hero. I don't blame Lana, of course. I haven't seen her in two weeks…" Then he turned back to Lex, his face hard. "I don't want your pity. I just want to go home." He slid out of bed, realizing that he had pyjamas on. 

"I took the liberty of washing you clothes," Lex continued. "Do you want some breakfast?" Without waiting for an answer, he started out of the room. He was used to people following his orders. 

Whitney followed slowly, looking around. He felt like a little kid. "What do you want from me?" he asked as they entered a dining room. 

"What do you want to do with your life, Whitney?" Lex asked, sitting down. 

Whitney looked over to him, surprised. What was this? "Play football," he answered automatically. 

Lex steepled his fingers in front of him. "Ever thought about business?" 

¥ ¥ ¥ 

When he left the Luthor's, he'd gone into Metropolis and signed up for night courses. He didn't go back to Smallville. Lex had convinced him and it had payed off. He was now owner of his own company, Fordman Chemicals, that worked closely with Luthor Corps. 

He checked his watch again. Two hours left. 

"Whit, are you awake?" his wife asked, running a hand soothingly up and down his arm. 

"Yeah," he replied, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "Go back to sleep. It's not time to get up yet." 

She shook her head, her short hair brushing his chest. "Something's bothering you. I can hear it in your voice. What is it?" 

"Nothing, Chlo. Work stuff. Go back to sleep." He brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead. Chloe Sullivan kissed his chest sleepily and slipped back asleep. 

Chloe. He almost laughed. She was the last person he imagined ending up with. They were so different. And yet… 

They'd met by accident on the bus in Metropolis. She was on her way to her job at the Daily Planet and he was on his way to a meeting with Lex. He almost hadn't recognized her, she looked so grown up and beautiful. But when he talked to her, he saw in her eyes the same girl he'd gone to high school with. 

¥ ¥ ¥ 

The bus jolted and he spilled coffee all over his paper. "Dammit!" he half yelled, trying to shake the remains off without getting it all over himself. 

"Here," a female voice said from behind him and a napkin wiped up the rest of the coffee off his newspaper. 

"Thanks," he said, turning a bit to see the speaker. 

The blond gave him a smile that opened in shock. "Whitney?" 

He looked at her closely. "Do I know you?" Maybe she was from one of the clubs he went to. Maybe one of Lex's girls. Who knew… Metropolis seemed full of blonds.

"Whitney Fordman. It is you!" She gave him a hug then pulled away. "It's me! Chloe Sullivan! I can't believe you don't' remember me! I haven't seen you in, like, five years… not since…" she trailed away, and the smile disappeared and she looked at her shoes. "Anyway," she continued, a little more subdued. "It was good to see you…" 

He stared at her. Chloe Sullivan. She looked amazing. Why didn't he realize before that she wasn't just a nerdy school paper girl. "Uh, yeah, I remember you. Wow… Do you want to get some coffee and catch up? Like you said, it's been five years…" He flashed her his winning smile. 

She smiled hesitantly back, probably thinking about him from high school. "Uh, sure. I guess…" 

"Great, uh, I'm in meetings all day today but how about tomorrow night? There's this little café on Broad St. 'Le P'tit? Meet me there around eight?" He was being forward but he honestly wanted to see her. He hadn't seen anyone from Smallville since he'd left. 

The smile grew. "Yeah, okay…" 

"So you're affiliated with Lex now… I wondered what happened to him after he left Metropolis…" Chloe said, laughing. "That's so cool." 

Whitney nodded. "Yeah, well, he's fine. He's still annoyingly calm about everything. It drives me insane…" 

"Oh, me too! I mean, it did. I just wanted to yell at him to smile or laugh or anything… god, he was like an iceman or something!" 

He nodded, watching her face sparkle, watching her eyes light up and her blond hair move back and forth. "He's loosened up a bit now that his father's gone." 

"Yeah, I heard about that…" She took a sip of coffee and stole a glance at his face. He'd grown even more hunky with age… she thought to herself, then berated herself. He wasn't a piece of meat. She sounded like those rich girls she dealt with sometimes… the ones with the boy toy hunks. 

"What about you? What do you do in the big city of Metropolis?" he asked. 

"I work for the Daily Planet." 

"That's what you always wanted, wasn't it?" he asked, remembering her love for journalism in high school. 

She looked at him in surprise. "Uh, yeah…" 

"Not quite the dumb jock you thought I was," he said dryly, making her blush. 

"No," she replied softly. "Not quite." 

¥ ¥ ¥ 

Coffee evolved to drinks and dancing, drinks and dancing evolved to dinner and a movie, dinner and a movie evolved to going out for three years, and that had evolved to marriage. It had been a small ceremony, just family and a few friends. Pete Ross showed up to congratulate the pair, Lana and Clark didn't. They must have known though. New traveled fast in Smallville. 

He brought his hand up so his wedding ring caught the light. He didn't regret it. Not for a minute. He closed his eyes and squeezed the small blond closer to him. 

To be continued… :)


	2. Plans

"Morning Mr. Fordman. You look sharp today," Mrs. Porter said as Whitney stepped out of the elevator. 

"Thanks, Mrs. P," Whitney replied, making the middle aged woman blush. He continued to his office. 

A few minutes after he settled into his chair, she bustled in with coffee and his schedule. "Just the way you like it," she said, plunking the mug carefully onto his desk. "You have a meeting with Mr. Gloss at eleven, with Mr. King at two and Mr. Heinrich at four. And the Daily Planet called. They want to do another story on you and the company." 

He took a sip of coffee to wake himself up then asked, "Why don't they just ask Chloe to do it?" 

"Too much bias," said a male voice from the doorway. 

Mrs. Porter screamed and spun around. "Oh, Mr. Luthor, you scared the bejesus out of me!"

"Good morning Mrs. P.," he replied, a smirk on his face. 

"Good morning Mr. Luthor," she said, a bit more subdued, and quickly exited. 

"You just love to sneak up on people, don't you?" Whitney accused, standing up to shake his hand. "Good to see you Lex." 

Lex took the offered hand, shrugging. "Everyone has to have at least one useless talent…" He moved over towards the window to watch the snow falling down onto Metropolis. 

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, Lex, but what are you doing here?" Whitney asked, rifling through some notes on his desk for his meeting with Mr. Gloss. 

Lex turned back towards the younger man. "What are you doing for the Christmas break?" 

"Huh?" he stopped flipping through the notes to look up at Lex. "Uh, well, Chloe gets two weeks starting today so we were planning on going out of town but we can't decide where yet… why?" 

"Cara wants to spend Christmas at the manor. She's planning a rather large Christmas party. We wondered if you and Chloe wanted to come." He flashed a smile and added, jokingly, "All expenses paid."

"Well, if you put it that way…" Whitney said, smiling and sitting down in his chair, swinging it back and forth. "I'd have to ask Chloe," he added, more seriously. 

"Ah the real power behind the throne," Lex quipped, walking towards the door. "Let me know then…" 

"And so he invited us to come along…" Whitney finished. 

They were sitting at home on the couch eating lunch and discussing Lex's offer. 

Chloe crunched into a carrot stick. "Why?" 

He shrugged. "Well, for our company, of course." 

"Whitney!" she cried. "Stop kidding around! This is serious!" She gave him a shove. 

He grabbed her and dragged her across him. "I am being serious!" he called back, laughing and tickling her. "You know Lex would want us there if he has to see all of Cara's friends for Christmas…" 

"Stop! Stop!" she said, gasping for breath. She lay back against his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat against her cheek. "Okay, good point but I don't know if I want to go back. I mean, that's my old life… what if I go back and everything that I wanted to forget came back?" 

He stopped laughing and looked at her. "Chloe, the minute you step into Smallville, you're not going to change back from what you are now to what you were then. You'll still be Chloe Fordman, smart, funny, brilliant reporter. It won't change. Besides, you have to go back. If you don't face it, it'll control you for the rest of your life…" 

She punched him in the chest. "When did you get so smart?" 

"Since I married you. I had to in order to keep up…" he smiled again and kissed her. 

She smiled against his lips. "Hmmm…" 

He was about to reply when he beeper went off. "Hold that thought." Checking the beeper, he groaned and sat up, holding Chloe in his lap. "I have a meeting," he said apologetically. "I have to go." 

She sighed and got up, taking their dishes into the kitchen. "Okay," she called. "When are you coming home tonight then?" 

"Before seven?" he said, knowing that he didn't really know. He started for the door, grabbing his keys and putting on his shoes. 

"I have my first day of vacation and my husband runs off to work. What is the world coming to?" she asked, coming back out and kissing him goodbye. 

"Not much," he replied, adding, "Seven o'clock." 

"Promise?" she asked, pouting.

"Promise." He kissed her then left. 

"We can take a helicopter or a limo to the manor," Lex said. "It doesn't really matter to me either way." 

"Helicopter," Cara said, taking a sip of her drink. 

Chloe and Whitney looked at each other and said at the same time, "We'll rent a car." 

Lex raised an eyebrow. "You can take the people out of Smallville but you can't take Smallville out of the people…" he said, smiling. "Don't want anyone to know that you're coming?" 

"Something like that," Whitney said, squeezing Chloe's hand under the table. 

Lex shrugged. "Okay." He turned to Cara. "We'll leave tomorrow at one in the helicopter then, okay darling?" 

"Okay," she replied sweetly. 

Chloe watched the two and wondered what Lex saw in the woman. She was almost an exact replica of his other 'girls', blond, well proportioned, perfect. She shrugged. 'I guess that's the point. Can't get too close…' 

"Okay, so it's settled then," Lex said as she tuned back in. He signaled the waiter over. "We're ready to order." 


	3. Welcome to Smallville

p"Don't worry Chlo. It'll be fine…" 

pChloe smiled from the passenger seat of the rented Land Rover and took his hand. "I know. I just have that nagging feeling that this was not a good idea. Why did I let you guys talk me into this?" 

pBecause I can't go through another one of Cara's parties and meet all of her 'friends' alone again," Lex said from the back seat. He had had to work the day he and Cara were supposed to leave so she'd gone ahead and he'd caught a ride with Chloe and Whitney the next morning. 

pShe turned around and looked at Lex, confused. "Tell me again why you're dating this woman?" 

pHe didn't even look up from his newspaper. "Connections, Chloe, connections." 

p "So you don't love her or like her much?" 

p "Not really, no." 

pShe stared at him blankly. "Uh, okay. I'm not even going to try and understand your twisted Luthor logic." 

pHe glanced up at her. "Not everyone can have the movie-worthy fairy-tale romance you and Prince Charming here got. The rest of us will have to make do with whatever is left…" 

pShe sighed and rolled her eyes, turning back to look at the road. 

p "You asked the question…" he said, going back to his newspaper. 

p "Stop fighting you two," Whitney said, grinning. "We're almost there." He glanced in the review mirror. "Should we skirt the town or go through?" 

p "Go through," Lex replied. "Cara asked me to pick up some more decorations. We obviously don't have enough…" he added dryly. 

p "Okay." Whitney steered the car towards the exit ramp to Smallville. 

p "Aren't you even curious as to how everything has changed?" Lex persisted, leaning forwards, towards Chloe. 

pShe glanced at him. "Nope." Then her eyes moved over towards Whitney. "I'm happy…" 

p

p

p "A Walmart? They changed your store into a Walmart?" Chloe asked as she followed Whitney and Lex inside. "I can't believe it. Smallville has a Walmart…" 

p "Don't be too shocked, Chloe. The rest of Smallville has changed as well… I'll meet you two back at the car in an hour. I have a few other errands to get done," Lex said, walking quickly away into the Christmas section, leaving the couple to wander down the aisles, hand in hand. 

p "I love Christmas," Chloe said. "Everyone always so happy and cheery and so much more relaxed… Hey, maybe we should get some things too?" she asked, as they passed the toy section. "Something for Lex and Cara…" 

p "Like what?" Whitney asked, letting go of her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist. 

p "I don't know," she said. "I just feel like we should get them something for letting us stay with them for Christmas…" 

pHe shook his head. "We were invited. We already bought them Christmas presents. And anything we get, she'll hate anyway. You know how Cara is." 

p "Yeah, I'm surprised she's lasted so long. I mean, she's so-"

pWhitney? Oh my god!" they heard someone shriek from behind them. 

pTurning, they saw a medium sixed, red haired woman running towards them. 

p "Whitney? It is you!" She threw herself at him, knocking Chloe to the side, trying to hug him and look him over at the same time. "Sarah. Sarah Peach? Remember me?" 

pHe nodded. "Yeah, sure, you were on the cheerleading squad with Lana. You look good." 

pShe stepped back, eyeing him appreciatively. "You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Fordman. Been working out, I see?" Then she spotted Chloe. "Oh, and is this your little wife? I heard you got married but no one told me to who." She extended a hand to Chloe. "I'm Sarah Peach." 

pChloe took it and said, "Chloe Sullivan." She enjoyed the reaction. 

pSarah paled and her smile slipped a notch. "As in Chloe Sullivan, editor of the Torch?" 

p "One and the same," Chloe said, grinning. 

p "Oh." Sarah took a breath and her smile came back in place. "Well, are you two here for the reunion party?" 

p "Reunion party?" Whitney asked. 

p "Yeah. Lex Luthor's having a nice little five-year reunion party for the seniors of Smallville High. You have to come Whitney, of course… it wouldn't be the same without you. After all you were going out with Lana…" 

pChloe blinked. "What?"

pHe cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, we might check that out. Thanks Sarah." And he steered Chloe away before she went beserk. 

pWhen they were outside, he let go. 

p "I'm going to kill Lex! Kill him! I was right. The whole time I was right! That sneak!" She looked ready to kill Lex. 

p "Let's walk downtown to let off some of that steam, okay?" He looked pleadingly at her as she kicked a snow bank. "I'm sure Lex has a perfect reason-"

p "Excuse you mean," she interrupted. 

p "A perfect reason," he said again. "For this. Or maybe she just got mixed up. She is a cheerleader, after all." 

pThat got him a little smile. "Okay," she replied, kissing him. "But I'm grilling him as soon as he gets back." 

p "Deal." 

pThey started off downtown. 

p "Oh, my god. Starbucks. What happened to the Beanery?" 

p "Progress," Whitney said, glancing around. They whole town had changed. Modernized. It was sort of sad, really. But he knew that he couldn't leave and come back five years later to the same thing. Everything changed. It was a way of life. "I love you," he said, suddenly feeling the need to be closer to Chloe. Hopefully, they would never change so much that they grew apart. 

pShe stopped. She must have noticed something different about the way he said it because she smiled and looked up into his face. "I love you too." 

pHe leaned down and kissed her softly. 

p "Chloe?" a male voice asked, shocked. 

p "Whitney?" a female voice said at the same time, equally as shocked. 


	4. Rude Awakening

Chloe and Whitney turned around to find Clark Kent and Lana Lang with matching frowns on their faces. 

"Clark, Lana," Whitney replied icily. 

"Why are you kissing him?" Clark asked Chloe. The couple advanced on them. 

"What are you doing?" Lana asked, looking from Chloe to Whitney. 

Chloe stepped back. "Excuse me? Have you been living under a rock? We got married!" 

Whitney glared at Clark, his jaw and his grip on Chloe's hand tightening. "Forget it. It's none of your business, Kent," he replied through clenched teeth. It felt like he was back in high school and Clark was trying to steal his girlfriend again. But this was different, he reminded himself. Chloe was his wife; he could feel her wedding ring digging into his hand reassuringly. She wouldn't leave him for that jerk Clark Kent. Hell, Clark had left her in pieces when he'd chosen Lana. He turned to look at Lana. She was pale and looked confused. 

"I don't understand," she said. "How? Why?" 

"I do." Clark's eyes narrowed and he glanced from Whitney to Chloe. "Can I talk to you for a second, Chloe?" He reached out a hand towards her. 

She flinched away. "What? For five years you don't write, you don't call, you don't e-mail and now you want to talk? Forget it." She closed her eyes and turned back to Whitney. "I want to go now." 

"Okay." He gave Clark one last glare then put an arm around Chloe and led her back towards the car. 

Clark started after them but Lana stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Clark, they need some time. It must have been a pretty big shock for them to see us again after so long. Let's just go home. I'm sure we'll see them at the party and you'll be able to talk to Chloe then." 

"You're right." He smiled. "Of course you're right… I'm just a little weirded out by them being together. I mean, Chloe and Whitney. Exact opposite…" 

She slid an arm through his. "Sure." But in her head, she worried if Clark was actually over Chloe. He acted pretty jealous when he saw them together… 

As the two couples walked off in completely opposite directions, Lex Luthor came out from the shadows of an adjoining building. For once in his life, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. 

"What a jerk," Chloe fumed. She was sitting in the front seat of the jeep, her arms crossed against her chest. She was close to tears. "I can't believe him!" 

Whitney nodded, staring out at the snow swirling around the windshield. "Well, it was quite the shock, you have to admit, right?" He reached out a hand and rubbed her back slowly. "We don't have to stay if you don't want to. We'll go back to Metropolis in the morning and go somewhere nice and warm and you won't even have to think about them again…" 

She sniffled but shook her head. "No, I have to face this. If I don't it'll just haunt me for the rest of my life." She leaned towards him and lay her head onto his shoulder. "Where is Lex?" 

"Running and hiding in fear of your wrath?" he said dryly, checking his watch. "He should be back any minute." 

"He's going to get an earful," she said sleepily. The steady 'whup-whup' of the windshield wipers, the heat in the car and Whitney's soothing hand rubbing up and down her back was putting Chloe to sleep. 

She woke up clothed in pajamas with Whitney breathing deeply beside her, his arm wrapped loosely around her waist. She watched him sleep for a minute. He looked so much more innocent and young, very unlike when he was awake. After leaving Smallville, he probably had had to grow up pretty quick. He'd been a jock in high school who didn't have to really work at much except football. All the teachers loved him, the students worshiped the ground he walked on. She smiled. In high school, she'd been a nerd. There was no use in denying it. She'd spent all her free time in the Torch's office, working on that dumb little newspaper… now she was working with a big paper with real stories and real journalists… She sighed and snuggled against him and tried to fall back asleep, wanting nothing more than to dream cute dreams of Whitney. Instead, all she could hear was Clark and Lana attacking them, 

"Why are you kissing him?" 

"What are you doing?" 

"How? Why?" 

She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears and to close off the voices. Why wouldn't someone like Whitney choose someone like her? Was it so far-fetched? They'd changed, grown different. They weren't the stupid high school kids that they'd been five years ago. Whitney loved her and she loved him. Right? She must have made enough noise because the arm tightened around her. 

"Chloe? Chlo? What's wrong?" Whitney asked sleepily, kissing her bare shoulder. 

She turned towards him and searched his eyes with her own. She needed reassurance. "Do you love me, Whitney?" 

He looked at her, confused. "Of couse." A quick grin. "I didn't just marry you for your connections…" 

She hit him lightly. "I'm serious." 

He blinked, trying to become more awake. "So'm I. Look, is this about Clark and Lana? It doesn't change anything. I don't feel any different. I love you. I. Love. You. Okay?" She was really upset, he realized, looking at her face. "What, did you think I'd run off with Lana the minute I saw Lana?"

"I don't know," she replied in a small voice, burying her head in her arms. "I guess it scared me because that's all that seemed to happen to Clark in high school. Every time I needed him, every time he said that he'd chosen me, he ran off to her. She was a guy magnet… probably still is…"

"I still love you. I'm here aren't I?" 

"You're just plotting your escape," she replied, a small smile creeping onto her face. 

He sighed. "You caught me. I was about to sneak out the window but you woke up. I guess I'll just have to settle for the beautiful, talented, wonderful, sweet and caring Chloe Sullivan…" 

She giggled. "That's all?" 

He pulled her towards him. "What more do you want? Brilliant, stubborn, smart, funny, perfect woman of my dreams?" 

"That'll do…" She said then kissed him. 


	5. The Party Begins

            "Where is he?" Chloe asked, taking another bite of her bagel. She hadn't seen Lex since she'd arrived at the Luthor mansion. 'Chicken,' she thought to herself. 

            "Didn't Whitney tell you? They went back to Metropolis. They got called in for meetings today but they'll be back by the party tomorrow night." Cara smiled. "So we won't have them in the way while we plan and prepare for the party!" She clapped her hands together joyfully. "This is going to be so much fun!" 

            Chloe swallowed the piece of bagel that had gotten stuck in her throat. "Great," she replied without feeling but Cara didn't even notice. She was too busy going into detail as to how they were going to decorate the front hall.

            They spent most of the first day choosing colours and decorations. Finally, at six o'clock, she begged off to go into town for coffee. 

            "I can have Ted drive you in if you like," Cara said, one well manicured, pink nailed hand poised over the phone to call the driver up. 

            "No, no, don't worry about it. If I could just borrow one of Lex's cars I'll drive myself in."

            "Go ahead. They keys are in the cabinet on the far left wall when you go in from the basement." She opened a drawer and passed Chloe a ring of keys. "The blue topped one will open that one." 

            "Thanks." Chloe took the keys and got out of the room quickly before Cara found something else she needed her opinion on. 

            It always amazed her how many cars the Luthors had, considering there were only two of them and the older one never came up here and they could only drive two at a time… Why would anyone own so many cars was way beyond her… Shrugging, she chose a nice little sports car that didn't look too expensive. The licence plate read Luthor2 and it looked like it couldn't have been used more than twice in its entire life. 

            The drive to town was quiet and relaxing. She wished Whitney were here though. Despite owning his own company and her only taking a few articles a month, they'd be interrupted, she'd be needed for a story or he'd be called back into work, like today. At least he would be back for the party tomorrow and she'd be able to get away from Vara and her catty comments. 

            Parking in front of the Talon, she got out and went inside. A coffee in a nice corner would be a nice change. Quite nostalgic actually. 

            The coffee shop really hadn't changed. The décor had but it was still packed with high school students, Crows jackets and cheerleader uniforms dotted within the crowd. 

            She ordered a coffee and took it to a table in the corner to watch the people mill around. She was totally lost in thought, daydreaming about Christmas and Whitney and happy cozy thoughts, when she heard it, 

            "Chloe?" 

            Looking up, she saw the strong handsome face of Pete. "Hey Pete," she replied, standing up to hug him. 

            "It is you! Damn!" He hugged her tightly. "I didn't think you'd come. I'm so glad you did! Mind if I sit?" She shook her head and they sat. "Wow, so have you seen anyone since you got here?" 

            She winced. "Clark and Lana…" 

            "Ah, I see. And how did that go?" 

            "Pretty bad… it felt like they were both jealous but maybe that was just in my own twisted world…" 

            He shrugged. "Well, Lana did go out with Whitney for a long time and Clark liked you. Hell, when I got the invitation to your wedding I was so mad and so jealous I wanted to kill Whitney. But when I saw you two together it just kind of melted away because I knew that you'd found something special with him and I wasn't about to stand in the way of that…" 

            "You liked me?"

            "Yeah, once." He grinned. "But now I've got my own woman so Whitney won't have to worry about me stealing you away." 

            "Don't worry," she replied dryly. "He's not worried." 

            "Where is Lex Jr. anyway?" Pete joked, looking around. 

            "Very funny… Metropolis. Some of us actually have to work for our money…" 

            "I work," he replied defensively. "Just because football looks fun, there's a lot of work involved." 

            She smiled. It was nice to have Pete back and normal.  

            "Well, I should get back. Amy and the baby are waiting. I was just getting coffee for her because that child does not sleep!" He put on a mock scowl but she saw the pride shining through. 

            Her face softened. "I can't believe you have a baby… a mini-you…" 

            "Me either. Kind of scary." 

            "I bet you're an awesome father…" 

            "Maybe, but I should really get going. I'll see you tomorrow night." He left, pushing open the door to the coffee house and out into the swirling snow. 

Just before the door swung shut, a hand caught it and Clark Kent came into view, shaking snow from his coat and hair. His eyes scanned the room, settling on someone behind the counter. Chloe watched him stride over and give Lana Lang a quick kiss before settling himself at the counter. She felt a minute sense of jealousy before remembering the look on his face when she and Whitney had first seen the couple. There wasn't anything wrong with being jealous. It was just missing Whitney. She sighed and left the coffee house, knowing she wasn't going to get any more peace. 

That night as she lay by herself in bed, the sheets wrapped around her small frame, she wondered what it would have been like marrying Clark and staying in Smallville. She'd done it millions of times before meeting Whitney. She'd been a schoolgirl in love. They probably wouldn't have gotten along. She would have missed Metropolis… She rolled over and envisioned Whitney's strong arms wrap around her and dropped off peacefully to sleep. 

The next day dragged on and on. She grimaced as Cara's voice rang out again and again, berating the men for making the banner too high or too low or yelling at the caterers for not bringing enough of something and too much of something else. She couldn't wait until six o'clock when the guests would arrive. 

She thought she was okay at four when everything was pretty much done but Cara cornered her in the front hall. 

"Chloe, we have to look perfect tonight for the party so I had some professionals called in for you and I to get ready…" She smiled, taking Chloe by the arm. "Whitney will be happily shocked." 

"I'm sure he will," Chloe replied unhappily. The thought of sitting for more than an hour while they compared, changed, plucked, combed, and gooped wasn't very pleasant. But there was no way around it. Sighing, she followed Cara upstairs. 

Two hours later, as the guests arrived and she was complemented on several times, she wasn't so mad about it. She saw Pete, Amy and little Geri who was the cutest thing and made her wish for babies, Clark and Lana from a distance because she'd been too chicken and run away when they'd arrived, and even some of her old friends from school. But still no Whitney and Lex. 

By eight o'clock, she gave up and wandered out to the back gardens to a secluded spot so she could wallow. She was really tired of smiling, saying 'oh my god, you haven't changed a bit,' and hugging and shaking hands… She just wanted to go home, curl up and read something. Sitting down on a swinging chair, she pushed off and curled up, a most unladylike position but oh well… She closed her eyes and let the rocking sooth her. Where was Whitney when she needed him? Where was Whitney when she needed him?


	6. The Fight

            Whitney pulled up to the front and handed the valet the keys as he and Lex entered the mansion. It was packed. So many people chattering and smiling and waving. He and Lex were chatting with some of his old friends when Cara's piercing voice shouted out, 

            "Lex, darling!" 

            She threaded her way through the crowd and hooked an arm around his. "Sorry, Whitney, I need to borrow him for a moment… there's this person I want him to meet!" They left and he continued talking to Brad and Scott before excusing himself to find Chloe. Usually she would love something like this… lots of people, stories to be found out, changes to see… but he couldn't find her anywhere an hour later. He went upstairs to the balcony overlooking the large room but still couldn't find the beautiful blond. 

            "Whitney! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Lana's voice said as she appeared beside him from nowhere. 

            "Lana," he said, surprised. "Where's Clark?" he added automatically. 

            "C'mon Whit… we're not attached at the hip…" She placed a hand delicately onto his arm.

            He gently detached himself. "No, just by law. Just like I am. With Chloe. Remember? Have you seen her anywhere?" 

            She shook her head. "I really wanted to talk to you, Whitney. You can't run away on me again. We need to talk." 

            "About what?" he asked distractedly, scanning the room below again. 

            "About us silly…" 

            "There is no us Lana… Not since you decided that Clark was the man for you…" 

            "That was so long ago… I was just a girl. And now I am a woman… a woman that realizes that she screwed up and wants to make it up to you…" She brushed against him seductively. 

            He pulled away, angry. "Look, Lana. If you didn't understand before, get it now… I. Am. Married. To. Chloe. Sullivan. She's my wife… get it? You're married to Clark. So I'm going to go find my wife and you can do whatever you want but I never want to hear that again, okay? Okay." He spun around and stalked down the stairs and out into the gardens. God! What was wrong with her? Didn't she get it? 

            Chloe sniffled and wiped her eyes, trying not to smear the nice job the cosmetic people had done for her. It had been rather nice to be pampered but all she wanted to be right now was with Whitney back in their Metropolis apartment, in front of the fireplace, curled up together. 

            "Chloe? Chlo?" 

            She looked up. Clark was standing in front of her with his hands in his pocket and a tortured look on his face, just like when they'd been in high school and he'd come to her with a Lana problem. "Hey Clark." 

            "Where's Whitney?" 

            "I don't know…" She sat up straight and patted the spot beside her. 

            He sat down, making the chair swing back and forth. "Are you enjoying the party?" 

            She shook her head sadly. "Not really. You?"

            "I can't find Lana anywhere… it's like she's disappeared." 

            "I know what you mean," Chloe replied, sighing. "Whitney was supposed to be back in time for this and he isn't. It's the first time he's broken a promise to me…" Tears welled up as she thought of all the reasons he might be late but she blinked them back. "I mean, I know he'll try but I wish he were here…" 

            "Well, I'm here if that helps any…" He put an arm around her and she leaned into him, feeling comforted, like the old days… 

            "Thanks Clark. That means a lot to me…" 

            "Yeah…" he trailed off and she looked up. He had the look on his face that he used to get when he was around Lana. "Chloe… there's something I want to tell you…" 

            She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Clark, no, don't. Please don't. You'll wreck it." 

            "No I won't…" He leaned forward to kiss her. 

            They heard the steely voice to Whitney at the top of the stairs. "Get away from my wife, Kent," he said through clenched teeth as he descended. 

            Clark stood up, angry. "She's upset, Whitney. Want to know why?" he taunted. 

            "Clark don't…" Chloe said, standing up too. "Whitney we weren't doing anything…" 

            Whitney looked from her to Clark who wore a smirk. "Really?" he replied, not really believing it. 

            "Really…" Clark said sarcastically. "Maybe if you treated her better-" He didn't get to finish his sentence because Whitney's fist was slamming into his face. He flinched back then punched Whitney back, knocking the ex-football player backwards before tackling him on the lawn. 

            "Whitney! Clark! Don't!" Chloe screamed, chasing them. 

            By now the news of the fight had spread throughout the house and people were coming out to see. Lex and Cara came running up to Chloe. 

            "What happened?" Lex asked. 

            "Are you okay?" Cara asked at the same time. 

            "Clark was taunting Whitney about being a bad husband and Whitney hit him. And, well…" She gestured helplessly to the two men wrestling on the ground, throwing the occasional punch. 

            Lex nodded, a frown on his face. He went in and with the help of Pete, pulled the two apart. Lex held Whitney back as he struggled to get at Clark. Pete was dragging Clark backwards, towards the house, saying things like, "Get a hold of yourself, Clark! What's wrong with you?" 

            Lex held onto Whitney a little longer until he was sure that Whitney wasn't going to chase down Clark to beat him to a pulp then let go. "I'm sure you two want to talk," he said to Chloe, turning and striding back towards the house.  


	7. Jealous Ex

Note: this chapter puts Lana kind of in a crazy place… if you like her, don't take offence… I didn't mean for her to become a jealous girl but it just happened… 

Whitney sat down heavily onto the swinging chair. "I really messed this up, didn't I?" 

            Chloe studied him, his head in his hands. "Not entirely. But I think I deserve an explanation…" she said quietly. 

            He sighed. "It's him. Kent. Sorry, Clark. He just makes me nervous. Whenever I have something, he takes it away with such ease. When I started football on the Crows in freshman year, I felt like God himself. Nothing could stop me. My life started on the right path and it all seemed to just fall into place. Football, I got on okay at school, and then Lana. She was perfect-" he paused as he saw her flinch but continued on "- emphasis on the 'was' part… and so I thought life was wonderful. Until Mr. Perfect waltzes into Smallville High. He's got a perfect family, his father's not dying, he picks up Lana easy as pie, even though neither would ever admit it, he's super smart, athletic… perfect. And then my life starts to fall apart and his just keeps getting better and better. Seeing him and Lana together made me want to cry. And so when I saw him with you, I snapped. I'm sorry but it just seemed high school all over again. He always seems to get what I have and want to keep." 

            She sat down beside him. "Tell me about it. In high school, I was in love with two guys… Clark and you. I mean, neither of you would even give me the time of day unless I threatened to break your necks. She made me so mad… I mean, she was my best friend but I still wanted to clobber her when I saw her with Clark or you. It wasn't fair. I did everything to get Clark to notice me but nooo…. she didn't even have to do anything and she'd have guys lined up around the block for a chance to talk to her…it was easy enough for her to get volunteers for any of the million things she set up. You're right, she was perfect…"

            He slid an arm around her waist. "We're quite the pair, Sullivan. Quite the pair…" 

"Yes we are, Fordman, yes we are… and I'm not going anywhere…unless, of course, you want to get out of here with me for a bite to eat… I'm totally starving and this party food really kind of sucks…" 

He nodded. "Sure. Let's go to the Talon." 

"Okay but I have to get my jacket…" 

They went back inside for her jacket and were in the main foyer, ready to leave when they heard the voice that had held Whitney captivated for so long in high school, 

"Whitney, you're not leaving, are you?" Lana asked, slinking up beside Whitney and putting her hand on his arm. "Not after the wonderful conversation we had upstairs. I hope you've come to your senses and sorted out your silly crush on Chloe. No offence, Chlo, but you were never good at the whole flirting thing in high school. You sort of sucked at it, actually…" 

Chloe's eyes blazed. "What conversation?" she asked, deadly calm. 

"Didn't Whitney tell you? We had a very heart-warming and reconciling conversation upstairs while you were outside with Clark…" Lana replied, batting her eyes at Chloe. 

"Oh." Chloe turned her icy blue glare on Whitney. "Did you?" 

He shook his head. "No, we didn't. Come on, Chloe… we're leaving." He detached himself from Lana and started away with Chloe. 

"What?" Lana shrieked. "No! Whitney, you were meant to be mine!" She lunged towards Chloe, grabbing her by the arm and trying to pull her away. Her nails gouged into the other girl's arm, tightening painfully.

"I don't think so," Chloe replied, as her hand came up and smacked her across the face. "Don't touch me ever again, Lana." 

Lana stumbled back, a hand on her cheek, her eyes blazing. 

"Goodbye, Lana…" Whitney said, pushing open the door. 

They stepped out into the night air hand in hand. The valet pulled up in their car and wished them a good night. Minutes later, they were flying down the road to Smallville. 

"So, no more Lana?" she asked, snuggled in a booth with Whitney. 

"Just as long as there's no Clark." 

"Deal." She tilted her head up to kiss him. 

He responded in kind, kissing her deeply and pulling her tighter against him. "Let's go home. We don't have any reason to stay here. It's only going to make things worse and I don't want to wreck this…" he knew he sounded like a whiny baby but he was dead serious. "I love you too much to lose you, Chlo…" 

She clutched his hand tightly. "I know. I love you too but we can't just run away from this… from Clark and Lana…" She laughed. "Well, we just did, but we just can't keep doing it because then we'd have it just under the skin of our relationship for the rest of our lives. We have to face up to it. We kind of did. You punched Clark in the face and I slapped Lana. I shouldn't have though. That kind of hurt." 

"It was masterful," he said, taking her hand and kissing her palm. "Not that you should make a habit of it but it was pretty crazy watching her being put in her place." 

She closed her eyes. "I don't want to think about it…" 

He kissed her neck. "Then don't…" 

She pushed him away. "Wait, we have to figure this out." 

"We'll go back in a little while. Just let me relax for a bit…" 

She leaned against his chest. "Okay. We'll relax then…" 


	8. Big Changes

Sorry for the super lateness… I know it's been a long time… oh, and I'm not following the Smallville canon at all… it's just too hard to write Lex as evil when he's so much more fun good… maybe I'll write another fic after this one with an evil Lex…

And sorry it's so short. I had to cut it off there because we're going to Metropolis next chapter… hopefully in the next few days I'll have it done… I want to finish it while I still have the creativity…

Chapter 8: Big Changes

Chloe watched Clark for a full twenty minutes before she could get up the courage to move her feet towards him. "Hey, Clark…"

He shovelled a forkful of hay onto the truck then turned towards her. "Chloe, hey." He was very subdued and wouldn't meet her eyes.

'This feels familiar,' she mused, feeling nostalgia rush at her again but shook it off. "I think we need to talk…"

He nodded, taking off his gloves and starting towards the house. "Coffee? It's okay," he added as he saw her pause. "Lana's in town all day. She manages the Starbucks til eight."

Chloe smiled tightly, following him inside. She gratefully accepted a cup of coffee. "Thanks. So…"

He leaned back against the counter, a mug wrapped in his hands, looking so much like his father, she had to blink a few times.

"Your dad would be proud of you, Clark…" she said before she could stop herself.

He smiled sadly. "Not last night."

"Look, Clark-"

"No, Chloe, stop. You're not the one who needs to apologize…" He turned toward the window. "When I saw you, it brought back a lot. It made me think of all the things you've done for me and all those years that we were friends. And then it just stopped. I wish I could've changed that. I wish you and I were still close." He turned back to her, reaching out for her. Halfway there he realized what he was doing and his hand dropped limply to his side. "It's really hard to see you happy with Whitney. Harder than I thought it would be. Not that he doesn't deserve you and not that you don't deserve to be happy. I mean, I screwed up and Lana screwed up and you guys got hurt and found each other and it worked out. But it's just hard. I don't even know anything about you. I don't know you and you coming back here just reminds me of that. It reminds me that my life's pretty empty without Chloe Sullivan…"

"Clark… c'mon... you'll make a girl blush saying stuff like that…" And she was. She cursed herself for having pale skin. "Seriously. I'm sure you're fine. You love Lana, remember?"

He shrugged, turning back to the window and staring off into the distance. "I loved the idea of Lana…"

She closed her eyes. Oh god, she'd heard this before. Whitney had gone on rants like these when she'd asked him about Lana.

"I mean, she's gorgeous and really good in-"

"Okay!" Chloe yelled. "That's it for me! I've got to get back to Lex's! Lots of stuff to do, people to see…" she babbled, hoping to God that he didn't finish that sentence.

"I asked her for a divorce."

Those six words cut through her like a knife. They shut her up, her mouth still open, her hand on the doorknob, her body frozen in space and refusing to move, refusing to go out or stay in. She turned slowly. "Excuse me?"

"A few days ago I asked Lana to divorce me. That's why she came onto Whitney at the party. I just can't handle her anymore. She's too demanding and too judgemental and, well, not what I thought she was…"

She knew this was a really bad idea but she took a few steps towards him anyway. "That's terrible. I'm so sorry."

"Why? I'm free." He came towards her and took her shoulders gently. "I will be. I sold the farm."

She couldn't help but yell, "What?! Why?!"

"I'm moving to Metropolis."

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"He's what?"

Lex couldn't help but smile at Whitney's obvious agitation. "He's moving to Metropolis."

Whitney ran a hand through his hair. "Great. Just great. I just find out from you that he's moving to Metropolis and where's Chloe right now? Over at the Kent farm." He wanted to break something. He wanted to hurl something. But mostly, he wanted to snatch up Chloe and never let her out of his sight again. He took a sip of whiskey, hoping it would distract him or at least cool the heated anger that was racing through his veins. It didn't. He looked up at Lex's amused face. "What?"

"You think she's going to leave you for Clark? C'mon, Whitney, you're better than that. She's completely in love with you. She'd never jeopardize that for her very own farmboy, no matter how much history they have together or however many sad looks he sends her way."

"It's Clark. You and I both know he's good at stealing things that aren't his," Whitney fumed. He stood up. "I need some air. If Chloe comes back-"

Lex smiled. "I'll check her hair for hay just in case she decided to have a quick roll before returning to the city tomorrow…"

"Not funny Lex, even for you." He set the glass down and left the room.

He started off down the grounds but changed his mind after seeing a familiar blond coming up the drive. "Chloe!"

She started when she saw him come out of the shadows. "Whit." She threw her arms around him and kissed him soundly. "Hi."

He smiled back then shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her. "So what's this I hear about Clark making big and suspicious life decisions?"

She studied his face in the half-light. He looked almost angry. "He's filed for divorce and moving to Metropolis?"

"And neither has anything to do with you?"

She looked confused. "What? No. Why would it have anything to do with me?"

He threw up his hands. "Because he's in love with you Chloe! Because he's always been in love with you! Because it's extremely hard to fall out of love with you once someone's so deep in it they can't breathe, they can't see and they can't think of anything else but your beautiful face and your gorgeous laugh and your wit and your incredibly patient kindness! But he's just never realized it because he's been too blinded by the image of Lana all these years and plus you being away in Metropolis has helped him not think of you… but then he sees you again and now he wants you back because he thinks that he can just turn on his 'aww, shucks' farm boy charm. Well, he can't have you. I won't let him."

She tried to stop herself from grinning. "Why? Because I'm yours? No kidding, Whitney… little thing called a marriage licence? Maybe some vows? Little thing right here?" She wiggled her ring finger in his face. "Geez, Whit, c'mon. Give me a little more credit for getting a bit more mature since I was here last."

He rubbed his hands over his face. "It's not you I'm worried about. I never worry about your infidelity."

She couldn't help but snort at his choice of words. She loved when he tried to be serious with her. "Your vocabulary has improved but not so much the jealousy skills Mr. Fordman..."

He slid an arm around her and they started walking down towards the gardens. "Guys never grow out of jealousy, Chloe. I'm surprised you didn't come across that one during all your research." It was strange though. He could feel the jealousy fading as she drew closer to him and slid her arm around his waist. It was odd how it came and went. He didn't even give Clark Kent a second thought at that moment but five minutes before he'd been ready to storm down to the Kent Farm and tear the farmboy limb from limb. Funny thing, jealousy…

He looked down at the blond now and felt peaceful.

It was going to be fine.

Everything was going to be fine.

He could handle Clark Kent in Metropolis. Metropolis was his playground. Kent was coming in with a disadvantage… He smiled slowly.

ҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰҰ

Let me know what you guys think!


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